Mark 16:18 says
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They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
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Here are a few definition of the phrase take up as found in my Strong's Concordance.
Quote:
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a primary verb; to lift; by implication to take up or away; figurative to raise (the voice), keep in suspense (the mind); specially to sail away (i.e. weigh anchor); by Hebrew [compare <H5375> (nasa')] to expiate sin :- away with, bear (up), carry, lift up, loose, make to doubt, put away, remove, take (away, up). —Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary
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A few quick things to point out.
1. Speaking in tongues, casting out devils, laying hands on sick to recover are physical manifestations of a believer.
2. Picking up snakes seems to be the only sign many believers explain away.
3. Strong's definition implies a deliberate attempt by someone to pick up the reptile with the belief it will not harm them...
By correctly interpreting scripture, those people are not doing anything wrong.
If a person wants to take the logic of tempting God to the fullest degree, a person tempts God when praying for healing.
There aren't any scriptures to support our prejudices against what they are doing.
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